Meet Scarlett St. Clair, our February Spotlight Author in Fantasy

 

BingeBooks: Where and when do you like to write?

Scarlett St. Clair: I write best in the early morning. As for where, usually at my desk because that is the only way I can hold myself accountable.

BB: Is there anything - furnishings, art, equipment, etc - you always like to have around you when you write?

SSC: I like to have coffee, haha. I like to have a larger screen so I can have a side for research as I write. As far as equipment, everything I have around me is ergonomic because I have a lot of elbow and wrist issues.

BB: Who are your influences? 

SSC: I would say my influences are Tolkien, Myths, and witchcraft. I am also heavily influenced by baroque and Rococo art. I love how dramatic and ornamental both styles are, and I try to replicate the rich feeling in the worlds I build.

BB: What are you reading right now? 

SSC: Right now, I’m reading fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, and Charles Perrault as research for writing my newest fairy tale retelling, Apples Dipped in Gold.

BB: What book would you recommend for a great wintry read?

SSC: Nocticadia by Keri Lake has hardcore wintery vibes. It is a very steamy dark academia romance. 

BB: Have any of your characters ever surprised you? How?

SSC: Every character in my Adrian x Isolde series surprised me, especially in Queen of Myth and Monsters. I thought I knew the direction of that entire book and they showed me I didn’t. It was wild to handle because I had to write things that were very hard. It was as if I was just a vessel through which these people were telling me their story and I had to let go and embrace that but it was very difficult.

BB: Cat or Dog?

SSC: Dog for sure, have you seen my Instagram?

BB: Tea or Coffee?

SSC: Coffee, specifically a five shot Americano, black, for anyone wondering.

BB: Tell us in one sentence why readers love your Hades x Persephone Saga, and will love A Touch of Chaos

SSC: I think people love this saga because it follows an emotional journey many of us can relate to, and Chaos is the culmination of that journey. 

BB: Tell us in one sentence why you love writing - in general, and in your specific genres

SSC: I love writing because it is an escape and because I love creating worlds. I get to pour parts of myself into each book and that is healing, not only for me but other people. When I was younger, I was determined to change people’s lives with my writing. I used to think I couldn’t do that and write romance, but I have since discovered I was very wrong, and I am grateful for that.

 

Scarlett’s Book Picks – find them with links here:

The Beast of Beswick by Amalie Howard (scarred MC named Thane, sorta Beauty and the Beast)

Master of Crows by Grace Draven (Likely the first fantasy romance I ever read and the first grumpy/kinda sunshine I ever read).

Desire In His Blood by Zoey Draven (spicy Alien romance with great world building)

The Winter King by C.L. Wilson (spice, high fantasy world, grumpy/grumpy)

The Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean (it’s like if Kaz Brekker could actually handle touching Inej)

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder (more high fantasy than romance. If you liked Crown of Midnight, this is for you).

Angels’ Blood by Nalini Singh (if you love paranormal romances in the vein of Ilona Andrews, Jeanine Frost, and even JLA, this is for you)

The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie by Jennifer Ashley (this was the first romance novel I ever read, the MMC has Asperger’s)

The Beast of Clan Kincaid by Lily Blackwood (this book has the best sexual tension I have ever read)